Thursday, November 07, 2013

In this thought-provoking novel about an event that could become a headline for months in any small town or rural community, high school English teacher, Jonathan M. Cook, gives us the story of one Julian Sane, a high school English teacher about to get tenure at a school that graduates 100 and some students each year.

The early chapters are quite difficult to get through. Not because they aren't well-written for it was the writing itself that kept me hanging in there. Besides I participated in the tour for his Youth and Other Fictions two years ago and had reason to trust him. No, not the writing nor the story events in themselves caused the aftertaste of bile that rose up in me as I was stuck inside the head of first-person, narrator, POV protagonist, Julian Sane whom the author was purposely creating as an unlikable arrogant, sarcastic, mean spirited, obnoxious, cynical, elitist young man, who believes that anyone refusing to see life in that same light is not living in reality.

Personally I think he's the one not grounded in reality and wonder if the author is giving us an unreliable narrator. Further, I wonder if it is just a coincidence that Cook chose the name Julian rather than Julius to pair with the last name Sane. But I figured that was just me seeing more than was actually there because it is the kind of games I play with my character's names. But then his sister, Clare, walks on stage and starts calling Julian Julie and it becomes plausible again.. Julie nSane?

Making it even more plausible is the name Clare Sane for the one character in the book who has a mature, reflective, grounded character. Gotta wonder.

So for nearly a quarter of this short novel we are subjected to the observations, behaviors and inner thoughts of a man who is bored into ennui with his life and the people in it, who is willing to humiliate with loud scathing words the timid waitress who poured his precious scotch over ice, who drinks himself into oblivion nearly every night, who thinks relationships longer than one-night-stands are pointless biologically driven instinct, and who verbally abuses the women he uses for sex, treating them like used toilet paper stuck on his shoe.

Not until the page where Clare barges in are we given the first glimmer of redeeming qualities in Julian. We see that he is capable of treating a woman with love and respect and able to have a deep relationship bond with her. So the question is, what happened to skew his character so? The first thing that drew my attention as a possible answer to that was when the fact of his parent's death came up and Julian had no witty, caustic, shock-jock-like response. Only a terse statement. They were gone. It happened a few years ago. Which implies it happened to both on the same day and thus was not by natural causes.

This reaction to the topic caused me to wonder if there is a deep, dark pain at the root of his noxious world-view and crass behavior. If so, the possibility for redemption as he works to break out of the prison created by trauma increases its potency. I'm not saying yea or nay as that borders on spoiler territory.

Not many pages later he is falling in love with a woman he describes as different than any he had every seen before. That he is after all capable of falling in love and developing an ongoing relationship is a good sign that he could redeem himself by the end.

But on the other hand...

The nature of this relationship in this particular community is cause for wondering if he has just exchanged the dark unreality for one seeming to be light itself tho outside observers can see the growing dark in the center of the light. For the woman is 18 and five sixths. And had graduated from his high school only one year earlier.

He knows this is taboo and tries to resist the attraction. As the relationship develops, slowly, we watch his temperament lighten, his demeanor brighten and we want to root for him. But its uncomfortable. No matter how sternly we tell ourselves that 18, nearly 19, is adult and after all she was never one of his own students, there is just something queasy about the situation. Maybe its only because I'm from the generation just prior to Jonathan Cook's (he's the age a son born in the early years of my marriage would be now) and have witnessed in life, news and novels how the power differential in a relationship where one is an authority figure (teacher, mentor, doctor, priest, Uncle, counselor, boss) distorts the ability of both individuals to know for sure where volition on the part of the subordinate becomes less than pure.

And it seems one who is, like Julian, immersed in more than a century of culture through film and novels and history and news, should understand that well enough to know why he should back off and let Lilly finish growing up, that if it is real love it will last and mature over time.

He should also understand the community reaction as the news leaks for it can't be written off as busybodies interfering in what isn't their business as it is one of a community's essential roles to nurture and protect their young and though they may not be able to articulate it as well as he can, they know the danger in the situation and fear it and are instinctively protective of one of their own.

He should also understand that fear is contagious and cultures mob mentality like yeast does bear. Although very irrational things can happen when mob mentality takes hold it must be acknowledged that at the root of the fear there is a completely rational basis. For even tho Lilly is legally adult, just about everyone over 22 could admit that she has a ways to go yet before she can see her world with mature clarity.

Just to be clear, in spite of the difficulties I discussed above I enjoyed this novel and am not sorry for the time I invested in it. I am partial to well written stories that take me out of my comfort zone, give me pause, and make me puzzle out solutions to the questions raised there in and, most importantly, don't spoon feed me but expect me to work as co-creator of the story. This one will linger long in my conscious and unconscious mind leaving its mark on my consciousness of the world. That is the mark of true literature.

From the Publishers:

“Love makes sinners of us all.”

In the sleepy Midwestern town of Vespers…

In the sweltering summer heat…

Julian Sane, high school teacher and cad’s cad, is a man at war with himself. But a chance encounter with a former student will push him across professional boundaries and force him to confront his personal demons.

From the author of YOUTH AND OTHER FICTIONS comes a love story for those who live in the real world, where love does not conquer all and actions do have consequences.

Note: SINNERMAN has attracted some controversy in Jonathan M. Cook’s hometown due to a number of similarities between events in the book and actual events in the community over the past several years. This book is a work of fiction!

What they are saying:

“All I can say is WOW! This powerful book kept me turning the pages wondering what was going to happen next. It’s one of those stories that make you wonder who did it or who will do it. Though the book dealt with a sensitive subject that would usually make me uncomfortable it was written in a way that drew me in. It is so suspenseful my heart raced and my palms began to sweat. The characters are well written and the plot solid. The author writes in a powerful manner that is lacking in a lot of fiction today. He is able to bring the reader into the mind of a killer and also the heart of the survivors. He shows that the effects of a high school shooting never go away. They are always lingering in the minds of those who lived through it, no matter how hard they try to forget. I recommend this book to people who love a great drama or crave suspense. This book is truly worth reading.”- Stephanie, Mother of Insanity

” I found myself totally engrossed in the book, almost against my will. I was drawn in by the inner dialog of the best friend, but also repulsed by some of his thoughts. The writing is clear, concise and effective and the tragic characters seem very real.”- Theresa, Frugal Experiments

” Cook allows us to get into the mind of his characters, and it brings a vividness to this story that is startlingly easy to fall into. When everything heads south, you’ll know exactly why. The reader is given an up close and personal look at the daily life of these students, at the cruel way kids can act towards one another, and at the frustration and anxiety that comes with feeling utterly alone. I liked the way that Cook showed the stark contrast between the kids of Jack’s youth, and the kids of today.Watching the events unfold really took my breath away, and I found myself reading at a manic pace to find out what ultimately happened. Cook definitely shows his prowess at writing characters that will pull you in and keep you there. Youth and Other Fictions definitely isn’t an easy read, but it’s one that I enjoyed. I highly recommend it.”-Jessica, Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

“The story completely absorbed me. I did not want to stop reading because I had to know what would happen. This book does a brilliant job of getting into the heads of Jack and Jason. It shows the horrors of having to deal with the tragedy of a school shooting. It goes places you never expect. I think it is a book that people will want to read.“- Lisa, A Casual Reader’s Blog

“Jonathan M. Cook’s work is fascinating. This a work of true goodness. He takes the unthinkable: teens committing horrific crimes, and turns it into a realistic fictional read for everyone.In Youth and Other Fiction, Cook gives us a play for play breakdown of a student’s demise and what leads to the shooting. He gives us a look inside the teacher’s head. What the teacher was thinking, the reactions. The realistic feel that this book had was incredible. Cook put you in the middle of the story and kept you there until the last page. You were front and center for all the feelings, all the reactions, all the horrific details about the crime committed. I couldn’t have felt more emotion if I was in the center of a true school shooting, it was just THAT real.If you are looking for an emotional, GRIPPING, and fantastically written novel for adults and teens alike, this is it. This is not for the faint of heart, of course. It’s REAL. These things happen every day, somewhere, in some part of the world. You’ll turn each page with a new look on life. With a knowledge that bullying and craziness can happen among our youths today. This book is a worthy debut and is a keeper and one that should be read by everyone for a very REAL look into today’s world. Well done, Mr. Cook!”- Molly, Reviews by Molly

Jonathan M. Cook was born in 1982. He studied Literature, Composition, and Creative Writing at Eastern Illinois University before moving to Robinson, IL, to become a high school English teacher and faculty advisor for the student newspaper. He is currently at work on his third novel.

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About Me

Reading, writing, watching story of all kinds is my primary passion. Fiber arts runs a close second and actually plays a role in the other as the stories and reviews I write are often born as my needles or hooks are in motion. The common denominators of them all are imagination and creativity.